Science Fair 16-18 August 2016

V2
Rosalie Science Fair Planning Guide
Table of Contents
Types of Science Projects (The Good, the Bad and the Scientific Method)………….…….
Page 2
So What is the Scientific Method?...........................................................................
Page 3
Choosing a category that interests you ………….…………………..……………………...……....
Page 4
Why not try a local topic? ……………………………………………………………………………………
Page 5
Step One: Coming up with a good question…….……….…………..…………………..…...
Page 6
Step Two: Doing the research and forming a HYPOTHESIS…………………….…….
Page 7
Now it’s your turn: you find the sources and write the hypothesis .…...……………..…….
Page 8
Step Three: Testing the hypothesis by doing the EXPERIMENT…………….....…...
Page 9
Time Out: How do you collect DATA??…..……….……………………………………...……….......
Page 10
Now it’s your turn: Science Project Organiser worksheet…………………………..…............
Pages 11-12
Step Four: Presentation, (or why you needed all those pictures)………………….... Page 13
What the Judges look for/What you should do at science fair Junior Category PP -2.... Page 14
What the Judges look for/What you should do at science fair Middle Category 3 – 4…. Page 15
What the Judges look for/What you should do at science fair Upper Category 5-6 ……. Page 16
Science Fair Rules and Regulations …………..…………….……………………………………………..
Page 17
Website Resources………………..…………………………………..…………………………..…...……....
Page 18
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What is the Scientific Method?
The Scientific Method is a process that helps scientists conduct fair & valid
investigations that feature well supported evidence. Check out the following
steps that will help you create great science fair projects of your own.
The
Question
•Your science fair project starts with a question. This might be based on an observation you have made
or a particular topic that interests you. Think what you hope to discover during your investigation, what
question would you like to answer? Your question needs to be about something you can measure and
will typically start with words such as what, when, where, how or why.
•Talk to your science teacher, your parents and use resources such as books and the internet to perform
background research on your question. Gathering information now will help prepare you for the next
Background step in the Scientific Method.
Research
Hypothesis
•Using your background research and current knowledge, make an educated guess that answers your
question. Your hypothesis should be a simple statement that expresses what you think will happen.
•Create a step by step procedure and conduct an experiment that tests your hypothesis. The
experiment should be a fair test that changes only one variable at a time while keeping everything else
Experiment the same. Repeat the experiment a number of times to ensure your original results weren’t an accident.
Data
Collection
Observations
Conclusions
Communication
•Collect data and record the progress of your experiment. Document your results with detailed
measurements, descriptions and observations in the form of notes, journal entries, photos, charts and
graphs.
•Describe the observations you made during your experiment. Include information that could have
affected your results such as errors, environmental factors and unexpected surprises.
•Analyse the data you collected and summarise your results in written form. Use your analysis to answer
your original question, do the results of your experiment support or oppose your hypothesis?
•Present your findings in an appropriate form, whether it’s a final report for a scientific journal, a poster
for school or a display board for a science fair competition.
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Choosing a category that interests you…
There are three different categories of the Science Fair to choose from. They are:
Life Science:
This category deals with all animal, plant and human body questions
that you might have and want to do an experiment about. Remember
that it is against Science Fair Rules to intentionally hurt an animal
during an experiment. If you are dealing with animals, please let an
adult assist you. It is okay to do experiments on plants, as long as
they don’t belong to someone else. (Don’t do an experiment on your
mum’s rose bushes unless you ask her first...!)
Life science also includes studying behaviours, so it’s a perfect
category to try taste tests, animal behaviour training (or even training
behaviour in humans...like baby brothers or sisters...)
Physical Science:
If you like trying to figure out how things work, then this is
the category for you! It includes topics about matter
(http://www.chem4kids.com/files/matter_intro.html) and
structure, as well as electricity, magnetism, sound, light or
anything else that you might question, “How does it work
and what if I do this to it, will it still work?” But remember,
you always need to ask an adult first (and always make sure
there is one of those adults with you when you try it.)
Physical Science also includes the composition of matter and
how it reacts to others. These are the science experiments that may have bubbling and oozing
going on, like figuring out what is an acid and what is a base. It is a perfect category to try to
mix things together to see what will happen.
Again, if you are experimenting with possibly dangerous things, you need to recruit an adult to
help you out.
Earth and Space Sciences:
This category is really awesome because it covers all sorts of
topics that deal with the Earth or objects in space. This
includes studying weather, geology (which is the study of
everything that makes up the Earth, like rocks, fossils,
volcanoes, etc...), and the study of all that is in space,
including the stars, our sun and our planets.
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Why not try a local topic?
Both Lake Jualbup and King’s Park offer some fantastic inquiry
science possibilities. Some ideas…….
1. Why and how much does the water level of Lake Jualbup change over a
certain period of time?
2. What species of frogs and how many live at Lake Jualbup?
3. Does the temperature of the water change in Lake Jualbup
over a certain period of time?
4. Which waterbirds live and breed at Lake Jualbup during the
season of Makuru (June, July)?
5. Are there any turtles living at Lake Jualbup? If so what species
and how many?
6. Does the pH level (acidity) of Lake Jualbup change over a certain period
of time? How might this affect the flora and fauna that live there?
7. How many species of orchids flower in Kings Park during July?
8. What native plants flower at Synergy Parklands during the season of
Makuru (June, July)?
9. Can you find turtle frogs in Kings Park? What kind of environment do
they need?
10. How many types of birds can you identify in Kings Park during a certain
period of time?
…………and these are just a few!
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Step 1: Coming up with a good question to
Investigate…
Now that you have picked out a topic that you like and are interested in, it’s time to write a
question or identify a problem within that topic that you can investigate. To give you an idea of
what we mean you can start off by filling in the question blanks with the following list of words:
The Effect Question:
What is the effect of
sunlight
on
on the growth of plants
eye colour
brands of soda
pupil dilation
a piece of meat
temperature
the size of a balloon
oil
a ramp
?
The How Does Affect Question:
How does the
colour of light
humidity
colour of a material
affect
the growth of plants
the growth of fungi
its absorption of heat
?
The Which/What and Verb Question
Which/What
paper towel
foods
detergent
paper towel
peanut butter
(verb)
is
do
makes
is
tastes
?
most absorbent
meal worms prefer
the most bubbles
strongest
the best
Now it’s your turn:
Create your Science Fair question using the “Effect Question”, the “How does- Affect Question”
or the “Which/What and Verb Question”:
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Step 2 : Doing the Research and forming a Hypothesis
So you’ve picked your category, chosen a topic and written an investigating question. Now it is time
to research your problem as much as possible. Becoming an expert at your topic is what real
scientists do in real labs.
So how do you become an expert?
YOU READ!!!!
READ about your topic. READ encyclopaedias. READ magazine articles and books
from the library. READ articles from the internet. Take note of any new science
words you learn and use them. It makes you sound more like a real scientist.
Keep Track of all the books and articles you read. (Make a reference list
as you go) You’ll need that list for later.
YOU DISCUSS!!
Talk about it with your parents. Talk about it with your teachers. Talk
about it with experts like veterinarians, doctors, weathermen or others who
work with the things you are studying. Sometimes websites will give you email addresses to experts who can answer questions…. But again, do not
write to anyone on the internet without letting an adult supervise it.
(*hint: take pictures of yourself interviewing people)
Whew…..!
Then when you think that you can’t possibly learn anymore and the information just keeps repeating
itself, you are ready to...
Write a Hypothesis
Now it is the time to PREDICT what you think will happen if you test your problem. This type of
“SMART GUESS” or PREDICTION is what real scientists call a HYPOTHESIS. Using this fancy word
will amaze your friends and will have you thinking like a fully - fledged scientist.
So how do you begin? Well, just answer this very simple question:
What do you think will happen, (even before you start your experiment)?
Example Problem:
Which paper towel is more absorbent?
Example Hypothesis:
I think Brand X will be more absorbent because it’s a more
popular brand, it is thicker and the people I interviewed said that
the more expensive brands would work better
**Handy Hint! This hypothesis not only predicts what will happen in the experiment, but also
shows that the “Scientist” used research to back up his/her prediction.
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Now it’s your turn:
Write down the problem and create a hypothesis based on what you have researched.
Problem:
Research: My problem about this subject is:
____
_____
(sample topics could be magnetism, electricity, buoyancy, absorbency, taste, plant growth, simple machines or
other scientific topics that relate to your problem. If you are having problems finding out what the topic is, ask your
teacher or an adult to help you on this one….)
Books I found in the library on my topic are:
Title:
Author:
Internet sites that I found on my topic are:
People I talked to about my topic are:
Some important points that I learned about my topic are
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hypothesis: I think that
_____
(will happen) because (my research shows…)
_____
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
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Step 3: Testing your Hypothesis by doing an
experiment
Now we’ve come to the good part. The part that all scientists can’t wait to get their
grubby little hands on… you guessed it… The EXPERIMENT!
Designing an experiment is really cool because you get to use your imagination to come
up with a test for your problem, and most of all, you get to prove (or disprove) your
Hypothesis. Now Science Fair Rules state that you cannot perform your
experiment live, so you’ll have to take plenty of pictures as you go through
these seven very simple steps.
1st-Gather up your materials- What will you need to perform your experiment? The safest way to
do this is get that adult you recruited to help you get the stuff you need. (Oh, did we mention to take
pictures or draw pictures of your materials?) This will come in handy when you are making your display.
2nd -Write a procedure - A procedure is a list of steps that you did to perform your experiment. Why
do you need to write it down? Well it’s like giving someone a recipe to your favourite dish. If they want to
try it, they can follow your steps to test if it’s true. Scientists do this so that people will believe that they
did the experiment and also to let other people test what they found out. (Did we mention to take pictures
of yourself doing the steps?)
3rd -Identify your variables- The variables are any factors that can change in an experiment.
Remember that when you are testing your experiment you should only test one variable at a time in
order to get accurate results. In other words, if you want to test the affect that water has on plant
growth, then all the plants you test should be in the same conditions, these are called controlled
variables: same type of dirt, same type of plant, same type of location, same amount of sunlight, etc.
The only variable you would change from plant to plant would be the amount of water it received. This
is called the independent or manipulated variable. The independent variable is the factor you are
testing. The results of the test that you do are called the dependent or responding variables. The
responding variable is what happens as a result of your test. Knowing what your variables are is very
important because if you don’t know them you won’t be able to collect your data or read your results.
4th- TEST, TEST, TEST. Remember that the judges expect your results to be consistent in order to be
a good experiment, in other words, when you cook from a recipe you expect the outcomes to be the
same if you followed the directions (or procedure) step by step. So that means you need to do the
experiment more than once in order to test it properly. We recommend three times or more. More is
better!
(Don’t forget to take pictures of the science project being done and the results.)
5th- Collect your DATA. This means write down or record the results of the experiment every time
you test it. The data you collect needs to be organised in a way that makes it easy to read the results.
Most scientists use tables, graphs and other graphic organisers to show their results. Organising makes
the results easy to read, and much easier to recognise patterns that might be occurring in your results.
(Besides, it impresses the judges when you use them.) But don’t make a graph or table because we
asked you to, use it to benefit your project and to help you make sense of the results. There is nothing
worse than having graphs and tables that have nothing to do with answering the question of a science
project.
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Time out: How Do You Collect Data?!!?
 Keep a science journal: A science journal is a type of science diary that you can keep especially if your
experiment is taking place over a long period of time (a week or more) You can record observations, collect
research, draw pictures and diagrams about your topic and jot down any additional questions you might have
for later.
 Have the right tools to do the job: Make sure you have the stuff you need to take accurate measurements
like rulers, metre tapes, thermometers, graduated cylinders or measuring cups that measure volume. The
recommended standard of measurement in science is metric so keep your measurements in centimetres, metres,
litres, Celsius, grams, etc.
 Tables, charts and diagrams are generally the way a good scientist
would keep track of experiment trials. Remember you are testing at least
3 times or more. A table is organised in columns and rows and ALWAYS
has labels or headings telling what the columns or rows mean. You will
probably need a row for every time you did the experiment and a column
telling what the independent variable was (what you tested) and the
responding variable (the result that happened because of the
independent variable).
Plant
Amount of
water per day
Size it grew
in two weeks
(controlled
variable)
(independent
variable)
(responding
variable)
Plant A
none
.5 cm
Plant B
5 ml
2 cm
Plant C
10 ml
5 cm
Plant D
20 ml
7 cm
 Be accurate and neat! When you are writing your tables and charts,
please make sure that you record your data in the
correct column or row, that you write neatly, and most of all that you record your data as soon as you collect it
SO YOU DON’T FORGET WHAT HAPPENED!!!! Sometimes an experiment might be hard to explain with just a
table, so if you have to draw and label a diagram (or picture) to explain what happened, it is recommended that
you do.
 Use the right graph for your experiment. There is nothing worse than a bad graph. There are all types of
graph designs, but these seem to be easy to use for science fair experiments.
 Pie graphs are good to use if you are showing percentages of groups. Remember that you can’t
have more than 100% and all the pieces need to add up to 100%. This type of graph is great if
you are doing surveys.
 Bar graphs are good to use if you are comparing amounts of
things because the bars show those amounts in an easy to read
way. This way the judges will be able to tell your results at a
glance. Usually the bars go up and down. The x axis (or horizontal
axis) is where you label what is being measured, (like plant A, B,
C and D) and the y axis (or vertical axis) is labelled to show the
unit being measured (in this case it would be centimetres that the
plant grew).
Line graphs are good to use if you are showing
how changes occurred in your experiments over
time. In this particular case you would be using the x axis to show the time increments
(minutes, hours, days, weeks, months) and then you would use the Y axis to show what
you were measuring at that point in time.
….And now back to the Experiment Steps
6th- Write a Conclusion: tell us what happened. Was your hypothesis right or wrong or neither? Were you
successful, did it turn out okay? Would you change anything about the experiment or are you curious about
something else now that you’ve completed your experiment. And most of all, TELL WHAT YOU LEARNED FROM
DOING THIS.
7th- Understand its Application: Write about how this experiment can be used in a real life situation. Why
was it important to know about it?
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Now it’s your turn!
Materials (take pictures!)
List the materials you will need for your science experiment here:
1. ____________________________
4. ____________________________
2. ____________________________
5. ____________________________
3. ____________________________
6. ____________________________
Variables:
List the variables that you will control, the variables that you will change and the variables that will be
the results of your experiment:
My controlled variables are (the stuff that will always be the same):
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
My independent variable is (this is the thing that changes from one experiment to the next, it is what
you are testing):
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
My responding variables might be (in other words, the results of the experiment):
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Procedure
List the steps that you will have to do in order to perform the experiment here:
1. _________________________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________________________________________
5. _________________________________________________________________________________
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Design a table or chart here to collect your information
(Did we mention that you needed to take pictures of you doing the actual experiment?)
Use graph paper to graph the results from your table.
Conclusion:
Now tell us what you learned from this and if you were able to prove your hypothesis. Did it work? Why
or why not? What did the results tell you? Sometimes not being able to prove a hypothesis is important
because you still proved something. What did you prove?
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Application
(How does this apply to real life?)
It is important to know about the results of this experiment because…….
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
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Step 4: The Presentation and why you needed all
those pictures…………
But first, a school fable………..
Sammy and Sally both baked cakes for the cake stall with the same mix and by following the same directions. When Sammy got his cake out of
the oven, he carefully took it out of the pan, smoothed the chocolate icing neatly and decorated his cake so that it looked delicious. Sally, on
the other hand, was rushing and cracked her cake when taking it out of the pan. She globed the icing heavily on parts of the cake, trying to
hide the broken bits. As you may have already guessed, everyone wanted some of Sammy’s cake and no one wanted Sally’s cake. Sally couldn’t
figure out why, because she tasted both and they both tasted the same……..
You may have become a leading expert in your topic and had the most interesting experiment results, but if you don’t make your science
project look ‘delicious’ for the judges, well your chances of winning may crumble, just like Sally’s cake. Your project display is like an
advertisement for all your hard work. So take our advice: Be NEAT and CLEAR in your presentation. Judges like to be able to easily read and
follow the progression of your experiment. Neat clear tables, graphs and, you guessed it…….lots and lots of pictures! (Did you remember to
take pictures?)
Making a Mouth Watering Display
Essential Requirement- The display must be able to stand on its own.
This is an example of a neat looking display that will stand up on its own if heavy card is used. If you have any models
or 3D articles for your display, they can go on the table in front of your display board.
Display Beauty Secrets





Use colour, but not so much that it makes your project too ‘busy.’
Keep your display lay out clear and easy to follow.
Typing headings and information helps to keep your display neat and easy to read.
Make sure you glue everything down well, including corners!
Mounting white paper and pictures on coloured paper helps to give it a frame and make it stand out more.
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Junior Category PP- Year 2
What the Judges Look For
Lots of people are scared to talk to the judges. Just remember they are a fellow scientist and they really
are just interested in hearing what you have to say about your project. Understanding what the judges
will be looking for will help you to prepare your project and presentation. We have listed all the things
you will need to do here:
Criteria
Point Allocation
Helpful hints on what to say and do!
1. Display well organised and
neatly presented
2 points
Stand to side of the display so the judges can see it
clearly
2. Clearly stated title, inquiry
question and reasonable
hypothesis
3 points
Introduce yourself, point to the title of your display
and tell the judges why you chose to study this topic.
State what your inquiry question was and tell them
about your hypothesis. (what you thought would
happen)
3. Clearly explained
experimental procedures
3 points
Tell about your experiment, the steps you took to do
it.
4. Effective analysis of data
clearly stating the
experiment results(graphs,
charts or tables)
3 points
Explain what your data means. Make sure you can
read your graphs and tables. Do your results support
your hypothesis?
5. Use of scientific terms or
topic vocabulary
appropriate to year level
2 points
Make sure you sound like an expert on your topic
and use science words, particularly from the
scientific method like: problem, hypothesis,
procedure, results, conclusion.
6. An appropriate conclusion
based on the results was
included
3 points
Let the judges know if you were right about your
hypothesis. How could your experiment results help
in real life? “My experiment about paper towel
absorbency could help people save money by buying
the most effective type of paper towel.”
7. Effective coverage and
closure of presentation
2 point
Make sure you tell the judges everything about your
experiment. If you get lost or forget where you are,
look at your display and follow it piece by piece. This
will help you to stay on track. When you are done,
shake hands with the judges and thank them for
their time.
Possible Total of 20 points
Remember to relax, smile and look the judges in the eyes when you speak to
them. This will help you to feel and look confident. Remember, you are the
expert on your topic and you had fun doing the project!
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Middle Category- Years 3-4
What the Judges Look For
Lots of people are scared to talk to the judges. Just remember they are a fellow scientist and they really
are just interested in hearing what you have to say about your project. Understanding what the judges
will be looking will help you to prepare your project and presentation. We have listed all the things you
will need to do here:
Criteria
Point Allocation
Helpful hints on what to say and do!
1. Display well organised and
neatly presented
2 points
Stand to side of the display so the judges can see it
clearly
2. Clearly stated title, inquiry
question and reasonable
hypothesis
2 points
Introduce yourself, point to the title of your display
and tell the judges why you chose to study this topic.
State what your inquiry question was and tell them
about your hypothesis. (what you thought would
happen)
3. Clearly explained
experimental procedures
3 points
Tell about your experiment, the steps you took to do
it.
4. Measurable data that
includes three or more
trials.
3 points
Be sure to let them know you did the experiment at
least three times and recorded your results to make
sure your results were valid. Show them your tables
and graphs where you have recorded your results.
5. Effective analysis of data
clearly stating the
experiment results (graphs,
charts or tables
3 points
Explain what your data means. Make sure you can
read your graphs and tables. Do your results support
your hypothesis?
6. Use of scientific terms or
topic vocabulary
appropriate to year level
2 points
Make sure you sound like an expert on your topic
and use science words, particularly from the
scientific method like: problem, hypothesis,
procedure, results & conclusion.
7. An appropriate conclusion
based on the results was
included
3 points
Let the judges know if you were right about your
hypothesis. How could your experiment results help
in real life? “My experiment about paper towel
absorbency could help people save money by buying
the most effective type of paper towel.”
8. Effective coverage and
closure of presentation
2 point
Make sure you tell the judges everything about your
experiment. If you get lost or forget where you are,
look at your display and follow it piece by piece. This
will help you to stay on track. When you are done,
shake hands with the judges and thank them for
their time.
Possible Total of 20 points
Remember to relax, smile and look the judges in the eyes when you speak to them. This will help you to feel and
look confident. Remember, you are the expert on your topic and you had fun doing the project.
15
Upper Category- Years 5-6
What the Judges Look For
Lots of people are scared to talk to the judges. Just remember they are a fellow scientist and they really are just
interested in hearing what you have to say about your project. Understanding what the judges will be looking will help
you to prepare your project and presentation. We have listed all the things you will need to do here:
Criteria
Point Allocation
Helpful hints on what to say and do!
1.
Display well organised and
neatly presented
2 points
Stand to side of the display so the judges can see it
clearly
2.
Clearly stated title, inquiry
question and reasonable
hypothesis
2 points
Introduce yourself, point to the title of your display and
tell the judges why you chose to study this topic. State
what your inquiry question was and tell them about
your hypothesis. (what you thought would happen)
3.
Clearly explained
experimental procedures
3 points
4.
Background information on
science topic with at least 3
information sources cited
2 points
Talk about the sources (books, websites, and
interviews) that helped you to understand your topic
and come up with your inquiry question and the
process of your experiment.
5.
Measurable data that
includes three or more
trials.
3 points
Be sure to let them know you did the experiment at
least three times and recorded your results to make
sure your results were valid. Show them your tables
and graphs where you have recorded your results.
6.
Effective analysis of data
clearly stating the
experiment results(graphs,
charts or tables)
3 points
Explain what your data means. Make sure you can read
your graphs and tables. Do your results support your
hypothesis?
7.
Use of scientific terms or
topic vocabulary
appropriate to year level
3 points
Make sure you sound like an expert on your topic and
use science words, particularly from the scientific
method like: problem, hypothesis, procedure, results &
conclusion.
8.
An appropriate conclusion
based on the results was
included
3 points
Let the judges know if you were right about your
hypothesis. How could your experiment results help in
real life? “My experiment about paper towel
absorbency could help people save money by buying
the most effective type of paper towel.”
9.
Stated real life connection
2 points
Judges love this because it gives real world purpose to
your topic. It makes you sound like a real scientist!
How would the results of your experiment affect
something? For example, if you discovered that heat
did affect the bounce of a tennis ball, what implications
would this have for the users and manufacturers of
tennis
2 points
Make sure you tell the judges everything about your
experiment. If you get lost or forget where you are,
look at your display and follow it piece by piece. This
will help you to stay on track. When you are done,
shake hands with the judges and thank them for their
time.
10. Effective coverage and
closure of presentation
Tell about your experiment, the steps you took to do it.
Possible Total of 25
points
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Science Fair Rules and Regulations
Awwww! You mean there are rules? Of course there are, silly, this competition
is made and run by adults!
Safety Rules First
1.
Number one rule… think safety first before you start. Make sure you have recruited your adult
to help you.
2.
Never eat or drink during an experiment and always keep your work area clean.
3.
Wear protective goggles when doing any experiment that could lead to eye injury.
4.
Do not touch, taste or inhale chemicals or chemical solutions.
5.
Respect all life forms. Do not perform an experiment that will harm an animal or a human!
6.
All experiments should be supervised by an adult!
7.
Always wash your hands after doing the experiment, especially if you have been handling
chemicals or animals.
8.
Dispose of waste properly.
9.
Use safety on the internet! Never write to anyone without an adult knowing about it.
Be sure to let an adult know about what websites you will be visiting, or have them
help you search.
10.
If there are dangerous aspects of your experiment, like using sharp tools or
experimenting with electricity, please have an adult help you or have them do the
dangerous parts. That’s what adults are for, so use them correctly. (Besides, it makes
them feel important!)
Science Fair Rules
1.
Only one student per entry and only one entry per student.
2.
Adults can help; in fact we want them to get involved. They can help gather
materials, supervise your experiment and even help build the display. They just can’t
be with you during the judging.(So parents, no peeking!)If you have had help make
sure you acknowledge this in your display.
3.
Experiments are recommended over collections and models. You will not score very
high unless you do an experiment, so save the models and collections for a class
project. You will be judged on the use of the Scientific Method (we told you that on
page 2).
4.
You cannot perform the experiment live. You will only be judged on your presentation
and board. You can however, mount things on your board in a type of 3D display, but
remember that your board has to be able to stand by itself, so don’t get carried away.
5.
Displays must be on display boards or can be made with cardboard. They can be no
larger than 100cm in height, 180 cm in length and 75cm deep. They must stand
alone. See the display making page if you need a diagram.
6.
Limit your presentation to a maximum of 5 minutes. Remember the judges will want to ask
questions too.
7.
Respect all adults involved in the fair… especially the judges!
8.
All decisions of the judges and science fair committee are final.
If you completed everything in this packet you probably have a terrific science fair project,
and you are now a real scientist! Good Job!
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Useful Websites
Science Buddies
A great site that can help you discover what
you are interested in and chose a topic for your
science fair project.
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fairprojects/project_ideas.shtml
Education .com
Education.com has assembled a collection of science fair
project ideas written by science teachers, professional
scientists, and educational consultants on popular science
fair topics ranging from physics and chemistry to biology
and even sociology. Free science fair ideas suitable
for every grade level, be it preschool, kindergarten,
elementary school, middle school, or high school.
http://www.education.com/science-fair/
All Science Fair Projects
Lots more ideas here for all year levels
http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/category0.html
MashableAustralia
This site shows you some video footage of some brilliant
science projects conducted by some special kids!
http://mashable.com/2014/08/26/science-projects-kids/
Neuroscience for Kids: Successful Science Fair
Projects
Site made by Lynne Bleeker a former science teacher,
science fair organizer, and judge. Gives a thorough and
detailed description of the steps to a successful science
fair project
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/fair.html
Home Science Tools
Lots of project ideas and experiments.
http://www.hometrainingtools.com/a/science-projects
School Of Dragons
This site has lots of fun and easy experiments to interest
your child in science.
http://www.schoolofdragons.com/how-to-train-yourdragon/science-experiments
Scholastic
Use videos of science experiments to teach basic concepts
and spark students’ interest in science.
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/40-cool-scienceexperiments-web
25+ Totally Awesome Science Fair Projects
Great ideas here for junior students
http://www.icanteachmychild.com/science-fair-projects/
Science Kids
This site has some great ideas for science experiments and
might give you some ideas for science fair projects.
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments.html
How to do a Science Fair Project
A video series to help you learn how to craft your own idea
and see it through to completion.
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/activity/how-to-do-ascience-fair-project/
CSIRO- Do it yourself Science Experiments for kids
This site has some great ideas for experiments.
http://www.csiro.au/en/Education/DIY-science
Kids.gov
Lots of different sections to help with creating science fair
projects.
https://kids.usa.gov/science/science-fair-projects/index.shtml
Fizzics Education
A terrific site to explore. Contains some good ideas for
experiments and ideas for science topics.
http://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/Free+experiments.html
Science Bob
A list of science fair ideas, experiments and research help.
https://sciencebob.com/science-fair-ideas/ideas/
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